Bullet Points

It is what it says it is. Some random thoughts. Many of which may be about guns.

• I know that we Second Amendment advocates are passionate, and in the face of threats (real or perceived) we’re being a bit more passionate than usual. Still and all, though, I have to say I’m really super disturbed at the number of Facebook postings I’ve seen where SAAs are rejoicing over someone shooting someone else. They’re posting a lot of news stories where someone robs someone else or rapes them or tries to do one of those things. And luckily (?) the victim is armed with a gun and shoots the perpetrator. The story gets posted and the comments come rolling in. “Good for her!” “That’ll teach so and so to rob a Marine’s Wife!!” On and on. Why are we acting like this is a happy occasion? The victim still has to suffer the violation and then the complex feelings that pile on top of that when you shoot someone. It’s not easy-peasy pulling a trigger on another human being. Even if they live you’ve crossed a line within yourself. And that’s not even getting to the fact that another person is wounded or dead. Sure they were doing something awful. But are we celebrating their injury or death just because we feel like it makes some point? I’m all for guns as defensive tools. But I’m not kidding myself that a gun as a defensive tool is anything other than a regrettable last resort.

• Why do I feel like the queen of Concern Trolls lately? It seems like half of what I do anymore is to tell people on my ostensible plank that they need to reassess their strategy. I don’t like doing it. I’d rather be productive, but it sure feels like everyone has abandoned reason for madness.

• Speaking of that last line, I sure am getting tired of people quoting Tolkein. It seems so…it reminds me of a geekier version of women who wear those sweatshirts they make themselves with cute sayings from Winnie the Pooh or Argus posters. “Hang In There” with the kitten clutching a limb. It’s so ersatz as to have lost all point. Tolkein may be a fine story-teller but he’s not King Solomon.

• I’m starting to really lose patience with everyone whose writing these stories about other people and their church attendance or lack thereof. It feels like I’ve seen three dozen of them in the last nine weeks and they all are full of confirmation bias. If they are in a church where they are happy, employed or both they see all the leavers as entitled whiners. If they are not in a church they see all the church people as self-involved hypocrites. KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR OWN PAPER. If you feel so called to worry about it, worry about the specific people who don’t show up for your Sunday School anymore or who aren’t at the other end of the pew any longer. Pray about it. Stop generalising about what is a very personal choice with many layered reasons. It’s like speculating on why people don’t have sex. I can tell you right now that the attitude on both sides isn’t advancing the cause of the Cross at all. It’s just fighting over which of the Seven Churches in the Seven Letters you are a part of.

• The dogs like Downton Abbey. Both sighted boys (Gob and Quinn) can’t get enough of it. They especially like the oldfashioned automobile sounds. I don’t claim to understand. I just roll with it. I will say that now that I’ve finished Series 3 I’m bursting to have Stateside people to talk about it with. My British friends are over it, all talked out. My Americans haven’t caught up yet. If you’re spoiled on Series 3/ Season 3, drop an email to k.coble@comcast.net . I must chat.

I’ve run on too long now. Some of those bullet points turned into essays. Sorry about that. I gotta go. Gus is trying to eat some spare keys.